The Youth Opportunities Unlimited Summer Employment Program Offers Teens Structure, Vocational Training, and More

Youth mentor helps Cleveland teens see there is life outside of the city

Youth Opportunities Unlimited 40th anniversary celebration

Y.O.U helps Cleveland teens

CLEVELAND, OH — Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U), a Cleveland-based nonprofit, celebrated 40 years of connecting young people to job opportunities.

“That is very much a celebration,” said Allie Levin, communication specialist at Y.O.U. “We will be acknowledging all the efforts we made in these 40 years while also turning an eye towards the next 40 years and what we need to do to create that future we want to see for the youth workforce in Northeast Ohio.”

The organization is perhaps best known for its summer youth employment program, which serves about 2,000 – 3,000 young people in Cuyahoga County each year. And according to a study done by Case Western Reserve University in 2021, participants in Y.O.U.’s program are more likely to attend school, have higher graduation rates, and are less likely to be involved in crime.

In addition to its summer program, the organization also works with young people throughout the school year. The Youth Career Olympics took place at the beginning of the anniversary celebration and attendees heard from participants from Y.O.U.’s Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates program.

These students showcased the business skills they’ve developed throughout the school year in team-based and solo competitive events. Competitions included community service, corporate team challenge, decision making, employment application review, employment interview, employment skills test, program cover design, public speaking, and visual display.

Yamileydis at 14 years old, knows she wants to be a leader in her community. She lives in Cleveland near the west side and attends Garrett Morgan High School, a place she considers to be “another home.” Her mother was born in Puerto Rico and speaks only Spanish.

One of her brothers, Johndiel, who participated in the Catholic Charities Hispanic Service Office’s summer drug and alcohol prevention Program in 2020, showed her some artwork he and other teens created. Yamileydis’ brother earned a paycheck while being in the program through the Youth Opportunities Unlimited Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP). His supervisor, Mayra Perez recalls how creative the participants were with very little direction needed.

40th Anniversary: 1982-2022

Yamileydis’ favorite classes include art, English, and history, but she hopes to explore many different subjects and career options through her involvement with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.).

“I definitely will help others in my community. I don’t yet know exactly what I want to do, maybe something environmental,” she said.

Y.O.U. partners with nearly 100 nonprofits in Cuyahoga County to provide quality summer work experiences for youth. The community partner provides the job and Y.O.U. pays the youth wages benefiting the young person and the organization. To learn more about Y.O.U. and youth workforce development, visit youthopportunities.org.

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